It's been a while since Philadelphia's Mann Center for the Performing Arts hosted top-shelf, cutting edge pop-rock talent. Gone are the days when one could catch rising acts like R.E.M. or 10,000 Maniacs in their prime at the Fairmount Park venue.

This summer, acts include the Philadelphia Orchestra, Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald and John Legend.

Camden's outdoor concert venue, (what's it called now, the Susquehanna Bank Center?) has become the summer destination of top-tier acts like Dave Matthews and Coldplay in the Philadelphia region, relegating the Mann to acts that appeal to an older, or at least a more sophisticated crowd.

But after seeing Diana Krall perform there Friday night, I'm thinking maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Krall's brand of jazz-infused standards, combined with a hint of the bossa-nova rhythms featured on her newest release Quiet Nights was the perfect fit for the laid-back venue, which was filled with mostly middle-aged or older couples, sipping wine or drinking beer and mixed drinks from plastic cups.

A couple of stray lightning bugs even flew absent-mindedly over the spare, richly-lit stage from time to time during Krall's tight 2-hour set, completing the ambiance.

I half expected to be lulled to sleep, in a not-unpleasant way, by Krall's smoky voice, but her superb backing band kept that from happening. Drummer Jeff Hamilton, bassist Robert Hurst and guitarist Anthony Wilson took plenty of liberties, going off on lively explorations of even time-tested standards made famous by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

So important to the performance were the members of the pianist's backing trio that Krall was left sitting idle at her piano at times, simply swaying to the rhythm in her black dress.

At other times though, particularly on selections like Quiet Nights, You're My Thrill and Walk On By from her new disc, Krall's sultry, silky voice really smoldered.

Krall, a mother of twin two-year-old boys with husband Elvis Costello, also reminded her fans that she started out as a pianist, displaying her impressive skills on lively jam sessions attached to songs like Sergio Mendez' "So Nice." "Deed I Do," made famous by Nat King Cole, was also a standout. Sprinkled in were also a couple of quiet, moving piano solos that ended so delicately, with the crowd so rapt, that I swear I could hear real crickets.

If there was a downside, it might have been that Krall seemed to almost rush through some of her most popular songs, like Devil May Care, upping the tempo significantly, but that was a minor fault. Krall admitted she was fighting a cold, but it didn't seem to hold her back much. At one point she suggested it might even have made her voice "sultrier and smokier" than normal.

The Mann, while showing its age, remains a great place to see a show, featuring a spectacular view of the Philadelphia skyline from the upper levels, and comfortable seating with pretty good outdoor acoustics from the covered seats. This summer it has added a Steven Starr restaurant called Crescendo, featuring buffet selections, drinks and tables with a view.

Krall is playing Monday and Tuesday and Carnegie Hall in New York, and tickets are still available.

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JOHN J. MOSER has been around long enough to have seen the original Ramones in a small club in New Jersey, U2 from the fourth row of a theater and Bob Dylan's born-again tours. But he also has the number for All-American Rejects' Nick Wheeler on his cell phone, wrote the first story ever done on Jack's Mannequin and hung out in Wiz Khalifa's hotel room.

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

JODI DUCKETT: As The Morning Call's assistant features editor responsible for entertainment, she spends a lot of time surveying the music landscape and sizing up the Valley's festivals and club scene. She's no expert, but enjoys it all — especially artists who resonated in her younger years, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Tracy Chapman, Santana and Joni Mitchell.

KATHY LAUER-WILLIAMS enjoys all types of music, from roots rock and folk to classical and opera. Music has been a constant backdrop to her life since she first sat on the steps listening to her mother’s Broadway LPs when she was 2. Since becoming a mother herself, she has become well-versed on the growing genre of kindie rock and, with her son in tow, can boast she has seen a majority of the current kid’s performers from Dan Zanes to They Might Be Giants.

STEPHANIE SIGAFOOS: A Jersey native raised in Northeast PA, she was reared in a house littered with 8-tracks, 45s and cassette tapes of The Beatles, Elvis, Meatloaf and Billy Joel. She also grew up on the sounds of Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw and can be found traversing the countryside in search of the sounds of a steel guitar. A fan of today's 'new country,' she digs mainstream/country-pop crossovers like Lady Antebellum and Sugarland and other artists that illustrate the genre's diversity.